If you are planning to seal a road, driveway or car park, it is fair to ask whether you need council sign-off first. The short answer is that it depends on the project, and it pays to check before you start rather than after. Here is how approval generally works.
Who looks after the roads?
Most public roads are managed by local councils, and each council has its own plan for maintaining and sealing the roads in its area. Councils are also the authority that approves private sealing work that connects to or affects public land, such as a new driveway crossover onto a council road.
When approval is usually needed
As a rule, work in the public sector or work that ties into public infrastructure needs approval from the relevant council. That can include the point where your driveway meets the street, entries to a property, and works on publicly accessible roads.
Like most building and property work, there are exceptions based on the size, value and nature of the job. A straightforward reseal of an existing private driveway that sits entirely on your land is a very different thing to cutting a new crossover into a council street. When you are not sure, the safest move is a quick call to your local council, who can tell you exactly what your job requires.
Private versus public work
The line is simple enough. Private sealing is work on surfaces that are not public land, such as your own driveway or a private road through your property. Public sealing is work on any road the public can drive on. Private work on your own land usually has fewer hoops, but anything touching the public network is where approval comes in.
Applying for a permit
Permits for driveway construction and upgrades are handled through your local council, and most now let you apply and track the process online. The exact steps vary from council to council. The good news is your sealing contractor can often lodge the permit on your behalf as part of the job, which saves you working through it yourself.
How we help
We work across South East Queensland, including Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba, and we deal with local councils regularly. We can tell you early whether your job is likely to need approval, help sort the paperwork where a crossover or public works are involved, and plan the work so it meets the relevant requirements. That way there are no surprises once the crew is on site.
Thinking about a new driveway, a crossover or a bigger sealing project? Get in touch and we will talk through the approval side, look at your site, and give you a written quote at no cost.